ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF SEA LEVEL RISE USING COASTAL VULNERABILITY INDEX FOR CUDDALORE DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU, INDIA

Due to persistent global warming there is a constant rise in sea level which puts the coastal inhabitations at serious risk thereby insisting a plan to identify the regions that are most likely to get affected in the near future.We have used the Coastal Vulnerability Index(CVI) as a tool to cull out the regions that are prone to sea level rise along the coast of Cuddalore district,Tamil Nadu by taking eight parameters namely,Geomorphology,Coastal Slope,Wind Speed and Direction,Shoreline Erosion/Accretion rate,Offshore Bathymetry,Wave Height,Coastal Villages and Landuse/Landcover.The coastal stretch of Cuddalore District is divided into two kilometer segments and the CVI Values for each segment is calculated. The Coastal Vulnerability Index(CVI) calculated varies from 2.44 to 30.98 indicating a significant amount of variance among different two-kilometer segments of the coast. Since the main purpose of this project is to conceive an output that will indicate the regions prone to sea level rise so that precautionary measures can be taken in advance to prevent the loss of life and property,Coastal villages and land cover along the coast play a pivotal role in influencing the results